Wood chopping and wood burning efficiency

[steve jobs' pancreas]

Thoughts and feed back welcome.

Perhaps its been said already, I haven't read the entire thread

The correct answer is two wives, one for digging, one for chopping, just don't fall for the whole "there's so much more two wives can do for you Homer" thing.

 

[J@se]

I used to under the impression that wood released the same Co2 decomposing as burning. Wouldn't have built a 'fire only' house knowing what I know now. It's easy to believe what suits your purpose, I guess. :behindsofa:

Pffft, it's a renewable resource. How much carbon does growing trees capture (as you do on your block)? Perhaps you're doing better than you think.

By the way, lovely house. I like those lucerne and mud jobbies.

 

[limeyfingers]

If you're using an 'axe', there's your first problem.

A 1 on " ditch the axe " for hard wood, get a decent
Block splitter (analogue is fine). If they bust apart a mallee stump you know they work on pretty much any wood. In a previous life we called them a " door key" for obvious reasons

 

[moorey]

Pffft, it's a renewable resource. How much carbon does growing trees capture (as you do on your block)? Perhaps you're doing better than you think.

By the way, lovely house. I like those lucerne and mud jobbies.

Cheers mate. It's a very comfy house to live in.
Re, wood fires, I try to think that, but the recent science says otherwise. I think Dr K stated that one day of running an open fire equates to around a year of driving an average car, the airborne particles are mainly the issue. Yeah, there's Co2 release in natural decomposition, and my block regenerates as I thin some trees, but I suspect it's still worse in the end than gas or lekky heating. :noidea:

 

[Haakon]

Upstream (scope 3) emission of fossil fuels and electricity is extermely variable... If I was Moorey, I'd be doing the same thing - using the resource at hand as efficiently as possible, particulalry where some thinning of the regrowth bush around there is needed anyway.

In the long term (even in Ballarrat) it should be possible to need very little heating if the house is done right, but 99% of houses in Austalia are piles of shit.

Hey Moory - thought about a wind turbine (got any wind there?) and/or solar to the extent that it will run a R/C?

 

[J@se]

Cheers mate. It's a very comfy house to live in.
Re, wood fires, I try to think that, but the recent science says otherwise. I think Dr K stated that one day of running an open fire equates to around a year of driving an average car, the airborne particles are mainly the issue. Yeah, there's Co2 release in natural decomposition, and my block regenerates as I thin some trees, but I suspect it's still worse in the end than gas or lekky heating. :noidea:

I see, well its wood all the way where I am, it was -8 this morning at 0700 and is still -1 now. Can't imagine what an equivalent gas or electric heating system comparable to our wood heating would cost me.:drama:

As to the OP, I rock Fiskar axes and splitters exclusively. They are superb!

 

[Haakon]

My grandparent bought one of these new when they emigrated to Australia in the late 1960's - Dad still has it in daily use. Its a beast - stacks of torque for munching through yellowbox

http://vintagechainsawcollection.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/stihl-07s.html

 

[MelbRod]

Geothermal

I was listening to some science show on ABC radio last week. They were looking at power generation including geo thermal.

What I was more interested in was the idea of small scale domestic geothermal heating. They were talking about sinking a system to 2.5 meters and running coolant through it. Sets a year round temp, night and day of 18C. A small top up on this in winter might be a good way to go minimal emissions.

 

[moorey]

Upstream (scope 3) emission of fossil fuels and electricity is extermely variable... If I was Moorey, I'd be doing the same thing - using the resource at hand as efficiently as possible, particulalry where some thinning of the regrowth bush around there is needed anyway.

In the long term (even in Ballarrat) it should be possible to need very little heating if the house is done right, but 99% of houses in Austalia are piles of shit.

Hey Moory - thought about a wind turbine (got any wind there?) and/or solar to the extent that it will run a R/C?

I have thought of a wind turbine actually. Fisher and Paykel washing machine motors, are the go I've heard. Just waiting on the verdict of safety from the new wind commissioner...and then there's the God aweful look of them :whistle:
Originally, we planned full solar, but due to height and density of the trees, without building a 20+mt tower, the panels would have got insufficient sunlight over winter, and we would have had to run a generator.

 

[Comic Book Guy]

Very interesting thread.

Don't know of this adds anything but newer wood heaters are subject to much stricter emissions guidelines. Result is they don't smolder like older heaters do and therefore burn more fuel. Seen this happen with a 30 year old Norseman v's a 10 year old Norseman heater. The 10 years old heater burnt a lot more fuel as it refused to smolder like the 30 year old one did. BTW: Norseman make great heaters.

On the block splitter v axe debate. Many years ago I had the experience of an axe bouncing straight back at my head off a piece of hardwood I was trying to split. The axe didn't even leave a dent in the wood. We ended up hammering a splitting wedge into the wood (using a block splitter as the hammer) to get it to split. Never again will I try and split hardwood with an axe.

Cheers,
CBG.

 

[SF Trailboy]

Spend the money on a decent hydraulic splitter, it is well worth in the investment.

Something similar to this http://www.redroo.com/commercial_en...play/130-hvls-series-2-hydraulic-log-splitter

We live in the Southern Highlands NSW and burn all winter 24/7 and I wouldn't be with out it. Saves a lot of time and energy. Must admit ours cost only about $2k new a few years ago.

As others have said a hand block splitter is a must my personal favourite is http://www.bunnings.com.au/hart-8lb-fibreglass-handle-blocksplitter_p3360365 the sledge hammer on the other end comes in handy in all sorts of situations i.e. a logs gets jammed on the wedge of the hydraulic splitter....

 

[dunndog]

what about that lever-axe thingy for choppin wood? Any good?

View attachment 315034

I used to go chop wood commercially with my dad and a couple others since I was 6. I learned to 'twist' the axe head right at the point of impact, and it worked in a similar way to this contraption. Very effective, took some mastering but once you get it, you've got it. Beats the Shit out of not doing it..

 

[slowmick]

Au contraire. 10 years ago, it was considered pretty revolutionary. 15 years ago when we proposed it it, council weren't interested. Took a bit of convincing to get it built. Been featured in a few doco, mags and books. Here's a few pics of the build. Didn't have a heater for the first winter though. Wifey wasn't a happy chappy.
http://glassford.com.au/main/projects-menu/ballarat-jumbo-bale/

that's a very cool house sir. my wife would love it - except for the heating. our ducted is offline at the moment and she has bought blower heaters for what seems like every room of the house. makes it hard to get excited about finishing the 60's triple fronted brick veneer. ain't never going to be that cool :thumb:

 

[stoo]

I used to under the impression that wood released the same Co2 decomposing as burning. Wouldn't have built a 'fire only' house knowing what I know now. It's easy to believe what suits your purpose, I guess. :behindsofa:

Are you taking the piss?
Given how little you say that you use, it'll grow back as fast as you can use it on your vast bush block...

 

[fatboyonabike]

Ideally , a small Co-generation plant running off 'Wood Gas' would be the best thing, but who's got time to build one of those!

 

[fatboyonabike]

Or you could make Fuel Bricks out of hemp..
Mooreys farm could be cleared to look like this, just imagine the ramblings we would get out of him then!

 

[moorey]

Are you taking the piss?
Given how little you say that you use, it'll grow back as fast as you can use it on your vast bush block...

Not taking the piss. We use as little as could be used with a fire running 24/7, but environmentally, it's still apparently not a good option. It's not about grow back, it's about the particulates released when burning. Thank Jebus none of my guys have asthma, but all the studies show the link between wood firer and asthma attacks. You know my neck is as red as the next mans. I love a good wood chopping, I just aren't big on the reported effects.

 

[stoo]

And out your way there's a house with a wood fire every 20-100 acres?
If every single house in town burned wood yeah it'd be pretty smokey but you're in the scrub and they have cheap natural gas in town.
Horse shit......

 

[stirk]

Spend the money on a decent hydraulic splitter, it is well worth in the investment.

Something similar to this http://www.redroo.com/commercial_en...play/130-hvls-series-2-hydraulic-log-splitter

We live in the Southern Highlands NSW and burn all winter 24/7 and I wouldn't be with out it. Saves a lot of time and energy. Must admit ours cost only about $2k new a few years ago.

As others have said a hand block splitter is a must my personal favourite is http://www.bunnings.com.au/hart-8lb-fibreglass-handle-blocksplitter_p3360365 the sledge hammer on the other end comes in handy in all sorts of situations i.e. a logs gets jammed on the wedge of the hydraulic splitter....

I've been eyeing off a smaller one like this - http://www.edisons.com.au/12-tonne-...tore=default&gclid=CNK55uqZosYCFZWUvQodA6QCIQ

12T should be ok since I'm not splitting huge rounds, only breaking up the stuff I get delivered which are already split although I need to make smaller logs and to make kindling.

 

[moorey]

And out your way there's a house with a wood fire every 20-100 acres?
If every single house in town burned wood yeah it'd be pretty smokey but you're in the scrub and they have cheap natural gas in town.
Horse shit......

All I'm saying is:
-financially, by far the best option.
-environmentally, possibly not.